Echoing the sentiments of Ariadne, I can only speak for myself and wouldn't try and make any sweeping generalisations about working in China.
At the same time I feel compelled to reply because many people come to sites such as these for information and I feel Lancy Bloom's posts appear to give an unbalanced view .
My first job in China I got through a recruiter (shock horror) and although there were some initial hiccups with the visa ( I came on an L visa, more shock and horror) everything worked out well. Indeed the recruiter would ring me occassionally to make sure that all was ok.
Since then I have worked for 4 different employers in the private and public sector, apart from some minor problems that you could have anywhere, there have been no major issues. I have been given everything that I was entitled to as per contract. In one case I ended the contract one month early and still had all my holiday pay and travel entitlements paid for the full year.
So the picture is not all gloom and doom.

What I find amusing is that these companies advertise here and other sites with different names but they are based in the same place.
It is the fautl of the lao wei because they make the recruiters corrupt.
They come here with money and take work away that Chinese teachers have paid to do. The lao wei has bad thoughts and won't share them with us.

I've experienced and heard of a few horror stories in China, but overall I think it's a great place to work, if you find the right school. Generally don't trust schools who offer WAY MORE than others. Usually there's a trick somewhere...

Actually, user names are very relevant on forums. It is usually the trolls who get upset. I have been here for years without a need to change my name. That means if I respond to a question the user can look me up and decide of they want to trust me.